My Happy Ending
by iyfanatic
Summary: Team Seven is being sent on an easy mission: guarding an actress on her way to Grass. This should be no problem, but when their client shows an unusual amount of interest in Naruto, tensions start soaring. [SasuNaru, SakuNaru]
1. Chapter 1

IY: Yet another new story! _**hearts**_

Kit: You should be working on the ones you already have, idiot.

IY: Well, yeah... But I just couldn't resist this plot bunny! **_smiles_**

XxX

**Warning:** SasuNaru slash/yaoi/shonen-ai. Mentions of SakuNaru, OCNaru, and KarinSasuke. Oh, and spoilers up to current manga 'cause I just can't help but include details.

**Disclaimer:** I disclaim! Absolutely no owning!

XxX

Naruto yawned, stretching his arms above his head and blinking sleepily up at the ceiling, partially blinded by the sunlight shining directly into his eyes. He stretched out his legs, pointing his toes as far as they could go, then lowered a hand to rub at his eyes and the other to scratch at his bare stomach.

He then set his blue eyes to tracing the cracks (the large ones, mind. The small ones were innumerable) in his yellowed ceiling, trying to warm up his brain for the oncoming day. Once he lost count (was that number 23 or 24?), Naruto finally decided to get up.

Swinging a leg over the side of his small twin-sized bed, the blond pushed his covers to one side.

"Nice boxers, Naruto."

Naruto yelped, crashing to the ground and dragging his blankets with him - his left foot was still tangled up in them when he decided to greet his hardwood floor.

"Kakashi-sensei!" he yelled, jumping up and pointing an accusing finger at the silver-haired man sitting nonchalantly on his windowsill. "I've _told _you not to do that!"

"Ah…" Kakashi put a finger to his lips in an exaggeratedly thoughtful fashion. "It must have slipped my mind."

"Ugh!" Naruto moaned, pulling at his hair. "How does Iruka-sensei _stand_ you?"

The silver-haired man smiled under his mask. "We have great sex."

"…Too much information." Naruto muttered, shuddering and glaring at his sensei. (He did _not _need that mental image, thank you very much.)

Kakashi shrugged. "You asked."

Rolling his eyes, Naruto headed to his wardrobe, picking out his usual outfit, which now consisted of black regulation pants and his Jounin vest over a black shirt. Of course, Naruto couldn't _completely_ do away with his favorite color, so the cloth of his hitai-ate was now orange and his black shinobi sandals now sported small orange spirals.

"So… Why are you here, sensei?" Naruto asked, voice slightly muffled by the shirt he was pulling over his head. "I mean," he paused long enough to stuff his legs into his pants, "It's not like I mind, but you don't usually come over for friendly visits."

"Aa. We have a mission; it's B-class, nothing special. It's going to be the whole Team Seven, reunited."

Naruto cocked his head. "Why would we need two Jounin, an ANBU _and _a medic-nin for a simple B-class?"

Kakashi winked. (Or, Naruto _thought_ he winked. With that mask you could never be sure… It could've been a slow blink. Maybe…)

"Let's leave that to Tsunade, ne, Naruto? Give her something to do."

XxX

"Hey, old hag. What's the deal?" Naruto called, sitting down comfortably on the sill of the window he just came through.

The young-looking blonde woman jumped, startled out of her perusal of a mission report.

"Stupid gaki! Don't you know how to knock?" She eyed the window he was perched on and added, "Or walk through a door?"

Naruto grinned. "Sorry, grandma. I picked it up from Kakashi-sensei."

He nodded towards the silver-haired man who was idly flipping through _Icha Icha Paradise_, sitting on yet _another_ windowsill.

Tsunade's blonde eyebrow twitched. "I see…"

Kakashi was spared from the oncoming rant by the banging of the mission room's door against the wall.

The kunoichi of Team Seven stood in the doorframe, smiling sheepishly and rubbing the back of her head - a habit she picked up from Naruto. "Eh, sorry?"

The busty blonde rolled her eyes at her pupil. "Remember your strength, Sakura."

"Yes, remember your strength and refrain from abusing helpless doors, ugly dog." 1 Sai said, stepping into the mission room and deftly avoiding Sakura's punch. "And please refrain from abusing _me _as well."

Sakura growled. "I would if you'd stop calling me that!"

The rest of the room's occupants watched amusedly as this daily drama played out.

Once Team Seven had settled down (Tsunade had learned early on that it was easier to let them tire themselves out than to interfere and try to bring about order), the Godaime cleared her throat.

Assured that she had a captive audience, she said, "Team Seven, you have a new mission. It's a relatively easy B-class, and yes, I know that you're overkill for a B-class, but our client demanded it this way, and had no qualms about paying the heavy fee for our best people."

Tsunade turned her amber gaze to Naruto. "She requested you specifically, gaki."

The blond gaped. "What! Why me? Who is she?"

The Godaime smirked. "Why don't I let her introduce herself?"

She turned towards the door and called out, "Shizune! Bring her in!"

The brunette assistant opened the door and allowed another woman to pass through first.

The newcomer moved regally and had shoulder-length navy-blue hair, which framed an oval, pale face. Her eyes were wide-set and sky blue in color, and her nose was pointed delicately upwards. She was wearing a fine traveling kimono, of a sort that was not usually seen around Konoha, as the majority of the population were ninjas whom needed freedom of movement.

"Hello," she bowed, "I am Mizuhara Machiko. It is a pleasure to meet you." She pinned Naruto under her blue gaze. "Especially _you_, Uzumaki Naruto-kun."

The blond blinked. "Eh, it's nice to meet you too, Mizuhara-san."

The blue-haired woman laughed airily. "Oh, please, call me Machiko."

Naruto smiled. (She's not so bad…) "Okay, but only if you call me Naruto, then."

Machiko grinned back, fluttering her eyelashes. "It's a deal, Naruto-kun."

"Ahem." Sakura, who'd had enough of this, cleared her throat in an exaggerated manner and stepped in front of Naruto (effectively blocking him from view).

"Hello," she said, smiling widely (and falsely, but the new girl didn't need to know that…) at Machiko, "I'm Haruno Sakura. It's nice to meet you."

Machiko spared her a smile and a shallow bow.

"And these are my other teammates," Sakura said, pointing to each as she named them, "Hatake Kakashi-sensei, and Sai."

Machiko bowed. "I have heard of you before, Hatake-san. It is an honor to meet you."

Kakashi returned the bow (surprising the heck out of his students), saying, "And it's great to be able to meet as great an actress as yourself, Mizuhara-san."

Sakura looked shocked. "You're an actress, Mizuhara-san?"

Machiko nodded, "I recently co-starred in _Icha Icha Paradise: The Movie_ along with Kazahana Koyuki. I believe you know her as Fujikaze Yukie?" 2 she asked, tilting her head.

"Ah, you know Yukie-hime?" Naruto asked, excited.

"Oh, yes! We were acquainted before, but we really bonded on the set of _Icha Icha_. In fact, that's how I learned all about you, Naruto-kun!" Machiko said, beaming.

"Yes, yes, that's all very nice, but we really need to get this briefing over with," Tsunade interrupted. She'd let this go on long enough as it was.

"Team Seven, you will be escorting Mizuhara-san to Grass Country where she will be attending a few autograph-signing sessions and a charity fundraiser. You will be her bodyguards throughout these events. This mission should last a total of three weeks."

"Hai, Godaime-sama!" Team Seven replied in chorus, snapping a smart salute to their leader.

Tsunade nodded approvingly. "Dismissed!"

Everyone started to walk out, but they stilled when the blonde woman called out, "Except you, Naruto."

The rest of Team Seven, plus one, looked between the two fair-haired people quizzically.

"Eh, we'll wait for you outside, Naruto!" Sakura finally said, herding the others out.

When the door snicked closed, Naruto approached the desk. "What's up, grandma?"

"I want you to be careful with this one, Naruto."

The blond laughed. "I'm always careful, old hag! You know that!"

Tsunade shook her head. "I'm not talking about the mission, gaki. I doubt you'll encounter anything more than a few bandits along the road…"

She sighed, looking him over. "I'm talking about _her_, Naruto. She's older than you, and she knows the ways of the world. You… don't. Look, just promise you'll be careful, all right? You better not come back married or something."

Naruto gaped. "_Married_!"

XxX

1 Ugly dog: Sai called Sakura that in a manga chapter where he was trying out nicknames.

2 Kazahana Koyuki/Fujikaze Yukie: actress that came out in Naruto The Movie: The Mission to Save the Snow Princess (I believe it's called Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow in the English version that's coming out on Toonami.)

XxX

Okay, first chapter: complete!

Review now, yes?


	2. Chapter 2

IY: No time. Enjoy!

Kit: Yeah. Reviews are welcome. Thanks to **peepsolez, Laura, **and **Em-chan01.**

**Disclaimer: No own!**

XxX

"All right, guys. Let's make camp," Kakashi ordered, glancing at the setting sun.

They had spent the day walking along the road that led to Grass, going at a moderately brisk pace. Team Seven would've usually traveled through the treetops, but seeing as their charge was a civilian, they had to stick to the more _tame_ way of traveling.

"Yes!" Naruto exclaimed happily in reply, quickly letting go of Machiko's legs which caused her to drop to the ground.

"No offense," he added, seeing her hurt look. "I'm not saying that you're heavy or anything, it's just that I'm not used to carrying people around on my back."

"Oh." The actress smiled. "Well, that's okay then, Naruto-kun. Thank you for carrying me; I'm afraid I'm not very fit."

Sakura, on the other side of the clearing that was to be their campsite, snorted.

Sai sidled up next to her. "What's wrong, dog?"

The kunoichi glared at him but didn't even attempt to punch him, which caused Sai's brows to rise.

"Now I'm _sure_ something's wrong. What is it?"

Sakura frowned, turning her body slightly so that she could keep the other two in her sights. "That _Machiko _is what's wrong. She's hanging all over Naruto!"

The brunette tilted his head. "Is that bad?"

"Yes!" Sakura hissed, scowling.

"I understand that you acted that way with Sasuke-san when you were younger, and Yamanaka-san does that every time she sees me…" Sai said slowly. "So does that mean that _your _behavior was bad, and that Yamanaka-san's behavior is _still _bad?"

The pink-haired girl blinked. "What? No! That's… That is a completely different situation!"

"Is it really, Sakura?"

Sai and Sakura both jumped guiltily. "Kakashi-sensei!" they chorused.

"Hai?" he drawled out, somehow managing to look intimidating while hanging upside-down from a tree branch.

"Eh, since when have you been there?" Sakura asked.

"Oh, I've been here all along, you were just so angry you didn't notice." He let go of his chakra, flipping in order to land on his feet.

He started to walk towards the chatting pair on the other side of the clearing, but paused once he was next to them.

"Remember, it doesn't matter whether you like your client or not. You must still complete your mission to the best of your abilities."

Sai and Sakura nodded, the kunoichi a lot more reluctant than the brunette.

Kakashi continued past them, calling out, "Naruto! Unseal our equipment and food supplies!"

He received an enthusiastic "Hai, sensei!" in reply.

XxX

The next morning, after they had packed up and erased all traces of their stay, the group started out again. Kakashi immediately took point, reading his orange novel and leaving the rest to their own devices.

"That was _so_ amazing, Naruto-kun! I still can't believe you managed to-" Machiko broke off, tilting her head. "What's it called, again?"

"Seal."

She giggled. "Right, right. Seal. Anyway, I can't believe you managed to seal _all _of our things into _one _little scroll!"

Naruto grinned, rubbing the back of his head bashfully. "Well, it's a little hard to learn Fuinjutsu, but once you do, it's easy! And I had a really good teacher, so that made it even easier!"

Machiko hooked her right arm through Naruto's left, peering up at him with apparently avid interest. "Really? Was it Hatake-san?"

The blond looked at their linked arms nervously, but shrugged off his uneasiness in order to answer.

"Eh, no, actually. I left the village for almost three years to learn under one of the Sannin, the 'Legendary Frog Hermit' Jiraiya." He grinned, "But I just call him Ero-sennin!"

Machiko's eyes sparkled with delight as she giggled. "I didn't know Jiraiya-san was a legendary shinobi!"

Naruto looked surprised. "You know Jiraiya, Machiko-chan?"

Sakura, who'd been guarding the back along with Sai, sped up her walking until she was in step with them. She flipped her short pink hair as best she could and laughed gaily.

"Why, of course she does! Don't you remember, Naruto? She starred in his trashy _Icha Icha _movie!"

The blue-haired woman frowned. "I _co_-starred, and it was not _trashy_, Haruno-san. I'll have you know that there was no nudity involved," she said icily, blue eyes shooting daggers at the kunoichi.

Naruto gulped, feeling the tension in the air. He shot a desperate glance towards Sai, begging without words for rescue.

The brunette stepped up to the challenge admirably. "Mizuhara-san, please, could you tell us how you managed to keep your clothes on in an X-rated film?"

Machiko swung her glare around to Sai, but it faltered once she noticed that he was merely asking out of curiosity and not sarcasm.

Tightening her grip on Naruto's arm (while looking smugly in Sakura's direction), Machiko smiled at the brunette shinobi charmingly.

"Well, Koyuki-chan and I weren't too keen on exposing ourselves to the general public, so we demanded a rewrite of the script. Jiraiya-san didn't want to lose us, so he agreed to let us keep our lingerie on and to cut down on the number of erotic scenes!"

Naruto whistled. "Wow, you _must _be good to be able to scare Ero-sennin into censoring his porn with the threat of losing you."

The blue-haired actress beamed at his compliment. "Thank you, Naruto-kun! You're too kind."

Machiko then proceeded to snuggle into his side, causing Naruto to falter in his steps momentarily.

Sakura glared at the cuddling actress and slowed her footsteps, falling into her rear position once again. "Slut."

She never took her heated green gaze off of the blue-haired woman, and only upped the power of her glare when Machiko turned around to stick her tongue out at the younger girl.

"Sakura…" Sai started hesitantly. (Even _he_ wasn't socially retarded enough to not pick up on the murderous vibes the girl was giving off…)

"_What_?" Sakura hissed.

"Eh, well, you've been glaring at Mizuhara-san for quite a while now… And I was wondering… Well, if you were planning to stop anytime soon?" Sai asked hopefully.

The pink-haired girl grit her teeth and snapped, "No!"

The brunette ANBU sighed.


	3. Chapter 3

IY: I'm baaaack! And I have another chapter with me. XD

Kit: No, really? Wow, I didn't notice.

IY: -sniff- I don't appreciate your sarcasm.

XxX

Thanks to: **takuya, hidan11** (I would, but I don't read anything that doesn't have Naruto as main. I just lub my Naru-chan too much!), and **peepsolez!**

XxX

**Disclaimer:** Don't own!

XxX

"Okay. Let's make camp. Unseal our things, Naruto." Kakashi ordered that night.

When they finally stopped it was already dark. They had paused to eat lunch (which took a whopping three hours) at a small civilian village they had passed and therefore had to make up for lost time by traveling after sunset. They had to make it to Grass on schedule, after all.

Naruto nodded. "Okay, I'm on it!"

He looked around, searching for a patch of soft-looking grass on which to lie his charge. She'd fallen asleep a few hours before and the responsibility of acting as her transport had been thrust upon him.

Finding a spot where the grass looked thick, he put her immobile body down. As soon as she was released, Machiko made a whining sound in the back of her throat, which caused Naruto to frown. He whipped off his vest and covered her with it, hoping that it would offer her some comfort.

"Okay, now to get the stuff…" He got a small scroll from one of his pants' zipped pockets, opened it and smeared it with a bit of blood from his thumb (which he bit with one of his unnaturally sharp canines).

Naruto threw the scroll onto the ground when it made a small "poof" sound. It was a good thing he did, too, since immediately after the cloud of smoke dispersed a heap of camping supplies appeared.

"Good job, Naruto." Kakashi praised, nodding approvingly. "Okay, then! Sakura, fix up the tents; Sai, set up some traps around the perimeter; Naruto, go get us some water- there's a stream about half a mile to the west."

He pointed in the right direction, knowing that Naruto wasn't very good at deducing his location without the help of either the sun or a map.

"I'll gather some firewood and guard Mizuhara-san while she rests. Got it?"

The teens of Team Seven nodded affirmatively.

"Good. Scatter!"

Naruto went to the pile of supplies and retrieved two large buckets and their four canteens. If he filled them up now, he wouldn't have to do it in the morning. (Naruto was nothing if not lazy)

Jumping into the trees, the blond took off swiftly in the direction Kakashi had pointed out. He was hoping to be done with this chore quickly; there were other things he needed to take care of.

XxX

"Aw, damnit!" Naruto swore, reaching into the chilly water of the stream in order to retrieve the canteen that had slipped out of his fingers.

"Gotcha!" he exclaimed happily, grabbing a hold of it by its strap before it floated too far downstream. He proceeded to pull it out, smiling at his accomplishment.

His bubble of happiness was short-lived, however, since he'd obviously forgotten that things made a splash when they left the water.

"Gah!" Naruto yelled, shuddering fiercely. "That was COLD!"

"Hn. You always were a dobe…"

Naruto froze and spun around, still shaking slightly.

"Sasuke! What are you doing here?"

The last Uchiha (once Itachi finally decided to croak, that is) sniffed haughtily. "I don't have to explain myself to the likes of you, dobe."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I've heard all that before, Sasuke-teme," he said, waving a hand airily. "But really, what are you doing here? Kakashi's nearby; he'll detect you for sure!"

Sasuke frowned. "Give me a little credit, dobe. My chakra's well-hidden; he won't know I'm here unless he sees me with his own eyes."

"But…" the blond started, tilting his head. "_I_ sensed you a long time ago."

The raven-haired teen smirked, slinking closer to the blond. "That shouldn't be a surprise, dobe. We've always been aware of each other," he said huskily, placing a gentle hand on the younger boy's cheek.

Naruto leaned into the touch, not breaking eye contact. Those deep, ebony-hued eyes always had the power to draw him in…

Sasuke smirked sexily, closing the small gap between their bodies and wrapping his arms around Naruto's slim waist. He moved in for a kiss… tightened his arms… tilted his head…

And jumped back when his legs were drenched with icy water.

"Dobe!"

Naruto laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "Eh he, sorry?" he offered timidly, bending down to retrieve the canteen that had slipped from his fingers. Again.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. Only _Naruto_ could ruin a moment like that…

But maybe he should be pleased? After all, he _had_ just reduced the blond Jounin into a nerveless, helpless, _vulnerable_ pile of uke-goo.

… Okay, you know what? Sasuke was pleased. Not to mention **smug**.

"So, anyway, you never answered me, teme! What are you doing here?" Naruto asked, setting the bottle down safely on solid ground.

"What? I can't go wherever I please anymore?" Sasuke asked (a touch defensively, Naruto noticed gleefully), gazing into the rather dense forest on the opposite bank.

"Aw, were you checking up on me again?" Naruto replied, smiling innocently, hands folded under his chin prettily. The glint of mischief in his eyes betrayed his act, however.

The Uchiha scowled. "I have never 'checked up on you,' dobe."

Naruto grinned cutely, biting the nail of his left index finger and tilting his head to the right. (Sasuke gulped)

"_Really_, now? Then what was with that little scene a few months ago, huh? C'mon, I sensed you hanging around Suna for the whole two weeks I was there," Naruto said. "…Especially when I was around Gaara," he decided to add, smiling cheekily.

Sasuke frowned. "I don't see why you hang out with that guy, anyway, dobe. He's obviously looking for a bit more than friendship from you…"

"Oh! Is that why you were there, Sasuke-teme? Were you worried? Jealous, maybe?" Naruto asked impishly.

"No!" the brunette snapped, glaring at Naruto for even _implying_ that he was daunted by the red-haired Kazekage.

"Uh-huh," the blond nodded passively. "If you say so…"

"Yes, I say so, dobe."

Naruto grinned, grabbing Sasuke by the collar and pulling him down to his level. He smiled foxily when Sasuke's usually impassive face showed his surprise.

"You're so cute when you're jealous, teme."

Naruto then pushed his lips against Sasuke's thin ones, granting the Uchiha entrance into his mouth once the brunette had recovered his wits enough to kiss back.

XxX

Hehe. I bet y'all weren't expecting that, were ya? XD

Anyway, their relationship will be explained as the story progresses.

Please review now!


	4. Chapter 4

IY: Hey all. I'm posting this in the public library so I don't have time to proofread or anything. Sorry!

**Disclaimer:** Don't own!

Thanks to:** PirateCaptainBo, little fox, and peepsolez!**

**XxX**

"Where have you been, Naruto?"

The blond Jounin stumbled, flailing his arms in order to retain his precarious balance on the tree limb he'd just jumped on.

"Eh, Kakashi-sensei! Don't scare me like that!" he cried, placing a hand over his heart dramatically.

The silver-haired man grunted, raking his one visible eye over Naruto's body. There didn't _seem_ to be any abnormalities…

Only the blond's clothes were slightly out of place: his shirt was slightly wrinkled near the hem, and his pants were slightly twisted, but that could be from traveling through the treetops…

Other than that, Kakashi could not find any traces of excessive activity. He could rule out a skirmish from the list of possible reasons that Naruto took so long.

"You didn't answer my question, Naruto."

Naruto shifted a bit (something Kakashi took note of), laughing sheepishly and scratching the back of his head.

"Well, you see… I was coming back with the water, when I accidentally dropped one of the buckets…" Naruto started, trying to make himself sound innocent.

(It's not a total lie… I did drop the water.)

"So then I had to go back to the river, to fill it up again, right? But I kind of didn't keep track of where I was going, and got a little… lost."

(I'm Uzumaki Naruto! I don't get _lost_. Ooh, the things I do for you, Uchiha…)

"So it took me a while to come back, since I didn't know which way to go, y'know?" Naruto finished, pulling at the hem of his shirt and plastering an awkward grin on his face.

Kakashi nodded, letting himself relax from his intense analyzation of his student.

"It's amazing that you can still be the number one most surprising ninja at the age of seventeen, Naruto," he said, chuckling. "Now, come on, we can't have dinner without water."

The blond nodded, smiling widely. "Hai!"

(Oh, thank kami-sama _that's _over.)

XxX

"Wai, Naruto-kun! Hatake-san told me that you took very good care of me yesterday when I fell asleep. Thank you ever so much!" Machiko gushed, clinging onto Naruto's left arm.

Naruto winced, feeling a dangerous rise in chakra nearby.

"Oh, eh, it's no problem, Machiko-chan. You're not very heavy, so it wasn't a very big bother to carry you."

The blue-haired girl giggled. "Thank you, Naruto-kun! I think I'm actually losing weight with all this exercise. What do you think?" she asked, stepping away from him and giving a slow twirl.

Naruto paused in his walking in order to watch. He couldn't really see any difference in Machiko's appearance, but he knew that actually saying that would be asking for trouble.

"Eh, yeah! I think you're right, Machiko-chan. You _are_ a bit thinner. I'm sure you'll knock your fans off their feet with your beauty."

The chakra peaked again, followed by another one, even closer than the first.

Machiko giggled, blushing and raising dainty hands to cover it. "Oh, you're too kind, Naruto-kun! You really know what to say to a girl!"

Naruto made a distracted, noncommittal noise in the back of his throat. His eyes were busy searching for the origin of the chakra.

_**There**. _In the trees. A flash of whiteNaruto smiled, eyes softening a bit. _I **knew** he was checking up on me…_

_And the other one? _Closer…His eyes swept his immediate surroundings. _Kakashi on point. No. Sai in the rear. No. Sakura…_ Naruto blinked, surprised by the expression on the girl's face.

_What's wrong with her?_

Sakura's face was screwed up into an angry grimace; her hands were curled as if she had claws, ready to tear someone's throat out; and her knees were bent, as if ready to spring.

"Eh, Sakura-chan?" he called, watching the girl warily. "Are you okay?"

The kunoichi of Team Seven blinked, startled from her (evil) inner musings. The high-powered chakra slowly dwindled, causing Naruto to let out a relieved sigh.

"Eh, I-I'm fine, Naruto. Don't worry about me," Sakura said, laughing weakly.

"Are you sure, Sakura-chan?" he asked, frowning in concern. The girl's face had been really disturbing, and it was hard to believe that she was 'fine' so suddenly.

"Oh, Naruto-kun, how sweet of you!" Machiko broke in, clutching the blond's arm and effectively bringing everyone's attention back to her.

She smiled at Sakura, though her eyes weren't the least bit friendly. "It's cute that you're so worried about your _teammate_."

Sakura smiled right back at her, even though it was obvious that it was forced. (Bitch…) "Yeah, Naruto is always worrying about his _close_ friends."

"Er…" Naruto backed away slowly, noting the animosity rising alarmingly between the two girls.

"Sai!" he hissed, nearing the brunette. "What's going on with those two?"

The Root member tilted his head. "Well, it seems that they don't like each other."

"Ugh!" _That's what I get for asking __**Sai**__ about interpersonal relationships…_

Naruto shook his head, looking for Kakashi. _He_ should know what to do.

Their teacher was on point, so he should be nearby… Naruto's head swiveled wildly, trying to locate their leader.

"Eh? Where's Kakashi-sensei?"

Sakura broke off her glaring contest with Machiko. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Kakashi-sensei's missing!" Naruto informed her, jumping from tree to tree. The road they were traveling on was in a heavily wooded area.

Sai shook his head, jumping into the trees and catching Naruto around the waist as he sped past.

"You are wasting your energy, Naruto-kun. I'm sure Kakashi-sensei had a good reason for leaving."

"But-" Naruto started, but was interrupted by Sakura.

"I'm sure Sai's right, Naruto. Kakashi-sensei knows what he's doing."

Naruto sighed, nodding reluctantly. "I guess…"

Sakura smiled. "Okay, let's get going. Kakashi won't be pleased to find us in the same spot once he comes back."

XxX

It was nightfall when the silver-haired man finally caught up to them. He ordered the team to stop and make camp.

"Naruto."

The blond looked up from where he was stacking the firewood he'd previously collected, preparing to make a fire. "Yeah, Kakashi-sensei? What's up?"

"We need to talk."

XxX

Ooh, cliffy. Too bad for you!

Review, please!


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